Business Terms

Business Terms (or Terms of Business) govern the contractual relationship between you and your customers.

When selling your goods or services it’s important to use terms of business specifically drafted to cover your individual business needs. These are also sometimes called ‘terms and conditions‘.  

• Business terms are an important opportunity to provide clarity and communicate what expectations are appropriate for customers to have.
• Your business terms are not just a commercial tool, they convey valuable information about your values as a business. A business which has unreasonable or unfair terms can suffer reputational damage and may lose customers as a result.
• Your terms of business may well need to comply with consumer protection legislation. For example, you may be subject to the distance selling regulations.
• Web developers and online platform providers may not be familiar with contract law, so be sure to take legal advice to ensure your requirements are adequately met when engaging developers. The needs of a business selling downloadable software will be completely different to those of a business selling personalized goods.

Use of Templates?

Start-ups often copy their competitors’ terms of business or use templates they find online. Remember that other people’s terms have not been drafted with your particular business in mind. Their terms may not help you understand the reasoning behind certain provisions, or explain anything not included in a contract.

If you’d like help to create bespoke terms of business contact us initially by using our contact form.